McIlroy, at 71, thinks he is still in striking distance

AUGUSTA, Ga. - You probably can't win a major on the first day. But you maybe can lose it.

Rory McIlroy isn't leading the Masters after the first round. But he can see the guy who is. For starters, that's enough.

"It was a good day," the two-time major winner said, after an opening 1-under-par 71 left him trailing by three in the year's first tournament that defines careers. "I think they set the course up very difficult today. I think everyone needed to stay patient. Anything in red numbers was good."

He's obviously one of the favorites in the first Tiger-less Masters in 2 decades, even though he's finished 40th and 25th the last 2 years after going from third-round leader to closing 80 in 2011.

"I was keeping an eye on the board, just to see how everyone else was doing," McIlroy said. "Not who was leading, but just the scores. Because then you can sort of compare how you're doing.

"It's about putting your ball in the right spot, and it becomes more of a mental challenge than anything else. It almost becomes like chess, where you're just making these moves. That hasn't been my forté in the past, but I'll learn to love it this week . . . [The greens] are fast already. By Sunday, they're going to be pretty dicey."

Three-time winner Phil Mickelson, who's finished worse than fifth only once in even-numbered years since 1996, had a 76 in the next-to-last threesome that included two birds, a triple bogey at the par-4 seventh and a double bogey on the par-5 15th. It matches his worst start (1997 and 2007).

"I've got some issues," he said. "I played well and just made a lot of little mental errors. I made a lot of little mistakes around the green, but I didn't hit anything unsolid. I just misjudged the shot.

"When I'm completely sharp, you don't throw those shots away out here. Disappointing for sure. I got a lot of work to do. I don't feel like my game is off, I really don't. I feel great with the putter. I don't feel like I've got to go to the range to find something."

Reigning U.S. Amateur champ Matthew Fitzpatrick, at 19 the youngest in the field, started with a double and also shot 76 . . . Jason Dufner, who won the last major, the PGA in August, shot 44 on the back for an 80, five more than his previous worst round. He took a nine on the par-5 13th. Yes, water was involved. Twice . . . Justin Rose, who won his first major last June at Merion, had a 76 . . . Patrick Reed, who played with McIlroy, is at 73. The Texas native, who's making his debut, played his college golf right here at Augusta State . . . Mark Leishman, who was fourth last year, is among the seven at 70 . . . Two-time champ Bernhard Langer, at 56, shot 72. He tied for 25th last year after opening with a pair of 71s . . . Former world No. 1 Luke Donald (79) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker on No. 9, and later tweeted that it was "stupid" on his part . . . Sergio Garcia, who's been playing well, had a 74.